Specialization reduces foraging effort and improves breeding performance in a generalist bird

Bosch, Merijn van den; Baert, Jeroen; Müller, Wendt; Lens, Luc; Stienen, Eric

doi:10.1093/beheco/arz016

Cited by 24 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…For instance, Hunt (1972) described a positive relationship between reliance on garbage and breeding performance in Herring Gulls ( Larus argentatus ), Pierotti & Annett (1991) found Herring Gulls specializing in intertidal foraging to perform best, and Van Donk et al (2017) claim that the exploitation of discards and garbage results in better breeding performance than that of intertidal organisms, while they found no differences between different degrees of specialization. In contrast, Van den Bosch et al (2019) found resource specialization to positively impact chick growth in Herring Gulls exploiting intertidal and terrestrial foraging habitats. Benefits of newly adopted foraging strategies hence appear strongly context dependent, that is, to vary among individual traits and with environmental conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Many large gull species of the genus Larus make increasing use of human-dominated (i.e., urban and agricultural) terrestrial habitats for both feeding and breeding, albeit to a variable degree between and within breeding colonies (Garthe et al, 2016; Matos et al, 2018; Mendes et al, 2018; Moreno et al, 2010; Osterback et al, 2015; Shaffer et al, 2017). Within single colonies, some breeders specialize on particular marine or terrestrial food sources, whereas others consistently adopt more generalist strategies (Camphuysen et al, 2015; Van den Bosch et al, 2019; Van Donk et al, 2017). While intra-population niche partitioning in gulls has been previously linked to sex, age and personality (Navarro et al, 2010; Navarro et al, 2017), reported effects on chick development of terrestrial vs. marine diets are highly heterogeneous among studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull

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Müller

et al. 2019

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Human-mediated food sources offer possibilities for novel foraging strategies by opportunistic species. Yet, relative costs and benefits of alternative foraging strategies vary with the abundance, accessibility, predictability and nutritional value of anthropogenic food sources. The extent to which such strategies may ultimately alter fitness, can have important consequences for long-term population dynamics. Here, we studied the relationships between parental diet and early development in free-ranging, cross-fostered chicks and in captive-held, hand-raised chicks of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) breeding along the Belgian coast. This traditionally marine and intertidal foraging species is now increasingly taking advantage of human activities by foraging on terrestrial food sources in agricultural and urban environments. In accordance with such behavior, the proportion of terrestrial food in the diet of free-ranging chicks ranged between 4% and 80%, and consistent stable isotope signatures between age classes indicated that this variation was mainly due to between-parent variation in feeding strategies. A stronger terrestrial food signature in free-ranging chicks corresponded with slower chick development. However, no consistent differences in chick development were found when contrasting terrestrial and marine diets were provided ad libitum to hand-raised chicks. Results of this study hence suggest that terrestrial diets may lower reproductive success due to limitations in food quantity, rather than quality. Recent foraging niche expansion toward terrestrial resources may thus constitute a suboptimal alternative strategy to marine foraging for breeding Lesser Black-backed Gulls during the chick-rearing period.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull

Sotillo

Baert

Müller

et al. 2019

PeerJ

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“…For instance, Hunt (1972) described a positive relationship between reliance on garbage and breeding performance in Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), Pierotti & Annett (1991) found Herring Gulls specializing in intertidal foraging to perform best, and Van Donk et al (2017) claim that the exploitation of discards and garbage results in better breeding performance than that of intertidal organisms, while they found no differences between different degrees of specialization. Contrarily, van den Bosch et al (2019) found resource specialization to positively impact chick growth in Herring Gulls exploiting intertidal and terrestrial foraging habitats. Benefits of newly adopted foraging strategies hence appear strongly context dependent, that is, to vary among individual traits and with environmental conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Many large gull species of the genus Larus make increasing use of human-dominated (i.e., urban and agricultural) terrestrial habitats for both feeding and breeding, albeit to a variable degree between and within breeding colonies (Garthe et al 2016;Matos et al 2018;Mendes et al 2018;Moreno et al 2010;Osterback et al 2015;Shaffer et al 2017). Within single colonies, some breeders specialize on particular marine or terrestrial food sources, whereas others consistently 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 adopt more generalist strategies van den Bosch et al 2019;Van Donk et al 2017). While intra-population niche partitioning in gulls has been previously linked to sex, age and personality (Navarro et al 2010(Navarro et al , 2017, reported effects on chick development of terrestrial vs. marine diets are highly heterogeneous among studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Peer Review #1 of "Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull (v0.1)"

2019

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Human-mediated food sources offer possibilities for novel foraging strategies by opportunistic species. Yet, relative costs and benefits of alternative foraging strategies vary with the abundance, accessibility, predictability and nutritional value of anthropogenic food sources. The extent to which such strategies may ultimately alter fitness, can have important consequences for long-term population dynamics. Here, we studied the relationships between parental diet and early development in free-ranging, cross-fostered chicks and in captive-held, hand-raised chicks of Lesser Black-backed Gulls (Larus fuscus) breeding along the Belgian coast. This traditionally marine and intertidal foraging species is now increasingly taking advantage of human activities by foraging on terrestrial food sources in agricultural and urban environments. In accordance with such behavior, the proportion of terrestrial food in the diet of free-ranging chicks ranged between 4% and 80%, and consistent stable isotope signatures between age classes indicated that this variation was mainly due to between-parent variation in feeding strategies. A stronger terrestrial food signature in free-ranging chicks corresponded with slower chick development. However, no consistent differences in chick development were found when contrasting terrestrial and marine diets were provided ad libitum to handraised chicks. Results of this study hence suggest that terrestrial diets may lower reproductive success due to limitations in food quantity, rather than quality. Recent foraging niche expansion toward terrestrial resources may thus constitute a suboptimal alternative strategy to marine foraging for breeding Lesser Black-backed Gulls during the chick-rearing period.PeerJ reviewing PDF |

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“…This is particularly beneficial when a considerable time and energy investment is required to learn the skills to successfully capture particular prey items [16][17][18]. Specialisation may, for example, improve foraging success through prior knowledge of food sources when they are scarcely distributed [19][20][21]. Specialists benefit especially when resources are predictable in time and space [22], as their (local) knowledge only increases foraging efficiency if that information is reliable [9,23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Breeding habitat loss reveals limited foraging flexibility and increases foraging effort in a colonial breeding seabird

et al. 2020

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Background Habitat loss can force animals to relocate to new areas, where they would need to adjust to an unfamiliar resource landscape and find new breeding sites. Relocation may be costly and could compromise reproduction. Methods Here, we explored how the Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), a colonial breeding seabird species with a wide ecological niche, responds to the loss of its breeding habitat. We investigated how individuals adjusted their foraging behaviour after relocating to another colony due to breeding site destruction, and whether there were any reproductive consequences in the first years after relocation. To this end, we compared offspring growth between resident individuals and individuals that recently relocated to the same colony due to breeding habitat loss. Using GPS-tracking, we further investigated the foraging behaviour of resident individuals in both colonies, as well as that of relocated individuals, as enhanced foraging effort could represent a potential driver of reproductive costs. Results We found negative consequences of relocation for offspring development, which were apparent when brood demand was experimentally increased. Recently relocated gulls travelled further distances for foraging than residents, as they often visited more distant foraging sites used by residents breeding in their natal colony as well as new areas outside the home range of the residents in the colony where they settled. Conclusions Our results imply that relocated individuals did not yet optimally adapt to the new food landscape, which was unexpected, given the social information on foraging locations that may have been available from resident neighbours in their new breeding colony. Even though the short-term reproductive costs were comparatively low, we show that generalist species, such as the Lesser black-backed gull, may be more vulnerable to habitat loss than expected. Long term studies are needed to investigate how long individuals are affected by their relocation in order to better assess potential population effects of (breeding) habitat loss.

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Specialization reduces foraging effort and improves breeding performance in a generalist bird

Cited by 24 publications

References 45 publications

Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull

Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull

Peer Review #1 of "Recently-adopted foraging strategies constrain early chick development in a coastal breeding gull (v0.1)"

Breeding habitat loss reveals limited foraging flexibility and increases foraging effort in a colonial breeding seabird

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